We’ve had reporters all over primary states and swing states, we’ve been through both conventions and more debates than we can count, and all that experience must have taught us something. So today, as voters take to the polls, we offer our predictions on the presidential race.

We asked several staffers who have obsessed over the race to draw their electoral map, guess the popular vote split between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, predict the split in the U.S. Senate and offer a wild-card pick. Enjoy as you wait for the minutes to tick away so we finally get an answer, and leave us your picks in the comments.

Biggest surprise of the night- Richard Carmona over Jeff Flake in the Arizona Senate race. Bonus surprise: A call can’t be made on Florida on Election Night because of the tightness of the race and legal challenges. Sadly, that probably wouldn’t be much of a surprise.

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NICK GASS, Washington Bureau intern

Electoral College: Obama 269, Romney 269

Popular vote: Romney 49.3%, Obama 49.1%

Senate breakdown – 51 D, 49 R

Biggest surprise of the night: See map — an Electoral College tie.

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TODD GILLMAN, Washington Bureau chief

Electoral College: Obama 270, Romney 268

Popular vote: Obama 50.5%, Romney 49.4%

Senate breakdown: 51D, 49R

Biggest surprise: GOP gains 2 seats in the House.

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RODGER JONES, Editorial writer

Electoral College:Romney 277, Obama 243

Popular vote: Romney 49.5%, Obama 49.1%

Senate breakdown: 51D, 49R

Biggest surprise: Though it probably shouldn’t be one, the nation goes to bed after ballots counted with Romney the apparent winner even though “crucial” Ohio remained stuck in the tossup category. This stems from huge number of unmailed absentee ballots that triggers provisional voting in unprecedented numbers. Race is too close to call, and these ballots won’t be counted for days. But by that time Ohio is a footnote.

Biggest surprise: Harry Reid and organized labor deliver Nevada for President Obama, yet they lose the Senate race in the same state.

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RYAN RUSAK, Political editor

Electoral College: Romney 277, Obama 261

Popular vote: Romney 50.7, Obama: 48.6

Senate breakdown: 52D, 48R

Biggest surprise: Romney becomes the first Republican elected in history without winning Ohio, which breaks its own way because of extraordinary circumstances of auto bailout and saturation of advertising and campaigning.

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NICOLE STOCKDALE, assistant editorial page editor

Electoral College: Obama 294, Romney 244

Popular vote: Obama 49%, Romney 48%

Senate breakdown – 52D, 47R. Cruz wins in Texas by 15.

Biggest surprise: Obama will win the nation but lose with independents. And his lopsided Electoral College victory will fuel wild conspiracy theories. (Hmm. Maybe neither of these is all that surprising after all…)

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JOEL THORNTON, Copy desk chief/former asst politics editor

Electoral College: Obama 281, Romney 257

Popular vote: Obama 50%, Romney 49%

Senate breakdown: 51D, 49R

Biggest surprise: George Allen over Tim Kaine in Virginia Senate race

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BRUCE TOMASO, editor/blogger/reporter extraordinaire

Electoral College: Obama, 285, Romney 253

Popular vote: Obama 51%, Romney 48%

Senate breakdown: 52D, 48R

Biggest surprise: Ohio, thought to be the key battleground, goes 53-46 for Obama.

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The blog for the Dallas Morning News politics team tracks Dallas Fort Worth area, Texas and national campaigns.